Digital Marketing Convention West Recap

June 21, 2018

Caroline Patterson

At last week’s DigiMarCon West in Santa Monica, the one common theme that every speaker touched on was that marketing doesn’t look like it once did, and it’s time we stopped trying to force it to. Whether it is trying to outsmart social media algorithms or create the illusive, personalized autoresponder email, marketers are wasting time trying to fit everything into outdated ideals and ultimately, end up missing out on opportunities to make digital marketing work to their advantage. Instead of trying to plan every campaign, initiative or program based on what previously worked, it’s time for marketers to focus their efforts on transforming their processes and creating the most impactful content for today’s digital world.

Here are three of my favorite takeaways from DigiMarCon West on how marketers can embrace and leverage the constantly changing industry:

Make the Most of the Micro-Moment

Jeff Turnbow, a marketing consultant and professional speaker, took the stage first to discuss the biggest trends in digital marketing. His central message: the digitalization of business has brought the micro-moment into existence.

So what exactly is a micro-moment? It’s any time that a consumer turns to their device of choice to do, ask, learn or buy something and is simultaneously bombarded with content and ads. Turnbow mentioned that since these micro-moments last such a short time, brands tend to cram their entire message into just a few seconds and end up overwhelming their audiences.

Instead, the focus needs to be less on squeezing as much content as possible into a matter of seconds, and more on pulling out the one or two key messages that add the most value to the consumer. People don’t pay attention to things that aren’t interesting, so we need to continually ask ourselves if what we’re putting out there is worth noticing, no matter how short it is.

Marketing is a Lot Like Dating

As marketing professionals, we’re hard-wired to find a way to tie any byline, post, blog or response back to our client or brand. While this may have worked for a while, in the age of social media and excess content, it is more of a turn-off than anything.

Randy Rayess, co-founder of Outgrow Marketing, reminded us all that whether it is marketing or dating, the more you talk about yourself, the less people want to hear. So how can we get our point across without sounding too self-involved? Become hyper-focused on the audience.

Take advantage of any available insights and figure out how to convey a relevant, relatable message that speaks directly to them. If your brand can find a way to make a customer feel like you care about what matters to them, more than just what works best for you, chances are they will continue to engage— and if you use this same mindset over it dinner, it may just help to get you a second date.

Be a Storyteller Above All Else

In the world of endless KPIs and metrics, it can be easy to lose sight of what the most important part of our work is—storytelling. Simon Kelly, CEO of Story Worldwide, discussed why we too often prioritize the sale over the story and what we’re losing when we do so.

His message: emotion drives purchases, not reason. So if you want to continue to effectively grow a business, you need to pay attention to what moves people. The story is a brand’s foundation—and what every future initiative is built off of— so as marketers, the best thing we can do is continue to ask ourselves if what we’re saying matters. In a time of constant noise, that may be the only thing that differentiates us.

Digital marketing is continuing to change by the moment, and I left DigiMarCon West with a fresh perspective and a list of ideas for how to better serve our clients that are continually navigating the challenges of digital. Do you have any other tips on how to embrace the changes and use digital marketing your advantage? Comment below or reach out @heyINKco on Twitter and let us know.